OK OK... before you yell at me, let me just say better late than never. I must also add a special thanks to Tim for not only doing this write-up but also pushing me to get this done.

Might I also add that if this is the first time you're seeing this, please try to do the challenge on your own. If you get stuck, go to the original thread for the chalenge and look for my hints. If those still don't help you, use this article just to get a hint, then try again. Hopefully we all learn something along the way.

So there I was, grabbing a bit of lunch, doing my daily catch up on the forums here at The Ethical Hacker Network (EH-Net), and Don, our Editor-in-Chief, posted the hacking challenge, RUaNinja? “Sweet!” I thought, “I'm always up for these skills tests, so let's see what Don has for us today.” Then, as I opened the thread, I realized I was in for a treat! As a fun way to promote his Syngress book, Ninja Hacking (Co-Authored by Thomas Wilhelm), Jason Andress, author of some excellent reads and a well-known IT security aficionado, had put together a masterpiece of a challenge tasking the readers to dig deep in their toolboxes, reach outside the box, and get into the mindset of a seasoned strategist.

Much like ninjutsu, the challenge involved stealth, concealment, decryption, and even a little extra something… a keen sense of awareness both of your surroundings as well as those things lying right under your nose. So without further ado, here's the story of my struggles, and ultimately my successes, with the RUaNinja? Challenge. Note: The events below were not all completed in one day. I bow to Jason for giving me a workout.

That was a good read. Man, great work Hayabusa!! I know I would have been stuck for a while on the "4,3:_3,1:6,3_6.2:6,3:8,1:_3,3:3,2:2,1:1,3:_2,3:6,3:6,1:7,1:8,2:8,1:3,2:7,3:7,4:_4,3:_3,3:3,2:2,1:7,3:_8,1:4,2:3,2:_5,3:2,1:2,3:5,2:_6,3:3,3:_8,1:4,2:3,2:6,1:" part.